NC joined hands with Congress to avoid hung Assembly: Omar

National Conference vice-president and former CM Omar Abdullah on Sunday said his party and the Congress had forged a pre-poll alliance to avoid a hung Assembly in J&K.

He claimed that the BJP would want a hung Assembly as that would give it an excuse to extend the Lieutenant Governor’s rule in the UT. “But, people of Jammu and Kashmir will not allow this,” he said.

Talking to reporters at a shikara rally on the Dal Lake in Srinagar ahead of the September 25 polling for the second phase, Omar said the NC and Congress could have also gone for a post-poll partnership, but the alliance was forged “to ensure there is no hung Assembly, and to give people an option and leave no room for any doubt about government formation”.

The NC and the Congress have sealed a pre-poll alliance for the three-phase Assembly elections in the UT.

Asked if the National Conference was ready to ally with the Peoples Democratic Party, Omar said there would be no need for it while adding that “let’s wait for the results on October 8”.

The top leader said the voter turnout in the first phase was not good in some areas. “There were some areas where the voting percentage this time was lower than that in 2014. For example, in Noorabad (DH Pora in Kulgam) segment, the turnout was 80 per cent in 2014, but this time it was 20 per cent less (68.8 per cent).”

The National Conference leader said the present administration should introspect about the dip. “It says that everything is fine now… there is no boycott, no fear. Why is then the turnout less in some areas?” he asked.

To a query about Congress leader Rahul’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said he should make more visits to take on the BJP top leaders, who are campaigning vigorously in the UT. “I would want Rahul to visit and boost the morale of the party cadre wherever the Congress is fighting the BJP candidates in Jammu,” he said.

Lashing out at the BJP, Omar claimed the party wouldn’t get any seats in Kashmir. “We know about the BJP’s attitude towards Muslims… it does not even have one Muslim minister at the Centre.”